The new kid in town
by Joey the Freaking Potterhead
Summary: The story of a small, pale boy by the name of Quirinus Quirrell; the new kid in town who had started his first year at Hogwarts; beaten down by bullies throughout his past six years as well as doubt from his parents; he had a thirst to prove himself; though one of the most brilliant people someone could meet; the trouble is... how does one prove themselves when they're so shy?
1. A lonesome boy

**Please note; the backstory in this is actually what Quirrell is recounting. He reminds me a lot of myself in his school days, I have done it this way also to build his character later in the story. Hope you guys enjoy!**

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_It was the first day at Hogwarts for Quirinus. He had moved from Britain to Switzerland at the beginning of first term; having lacked so much self-esteem, he knew he wouldn't fit in from the start. One thing was always on his mind, 'why was I chosen as a Ravenclaw? I have no brilliance.' Indeed this boy was one of the most brilliant in the school; however his timidness from previous bullies and __and doubt from his parents caused him great trouble with his self-esteem. It also meant h_e wanted nothing more than to prove himself; nothing more to be noticed but how would this be when he didn't know a single person and was too shy to talk to anyone? 

_Being the new kid isn't easy, especially when you've had a background like Quinirus's; it was his first day of Hogwarts; he was terrified. He didn't know whether he would ever have a single friend, whether he would ever fit in with anyone; his self-esteem being so low didn't help at all; it was so low even the strongest man wouldn't be able to pick it up with his teeth. He walked about the halls, as he made his way to the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony; it hadn't been a very good start; the moment he arrived via boat to the gates of Hogwarts he knew that he was different; while everyone chattered amongst themselves, the small, pale boy kept at the back of the line of first years, hunched over as he shook slightly with fear; of course he wasn't the only nervous boy but to him, everyone else was brave. Everyone else had nerve and was a lot more brilliant than him. He piled into one of the boats with two other first years, however had no nerve to say anything; he liked it this way, there was no way he was going to make his first impression as the coward he was who stuttered uncontrollably to a point where they would barely understand him. Once he reached the gates of Hogwarts, his eyes lit up brightly though he shook with fear as the thoughts of being the odd one out ran through his mind. He was led into the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony; he was relieved when he was relieved to be one of the first few called as this meant no one would judge him if he were sorted into the house of Hufflepuff; the house, as he heard it, for the weak. _

_The sorting hat was placed on his head; for a moment it thought, about a minute passed when it bellowed, "RAVENCLAW!" _

"_Th-th-th-there m-m-m-must b-b-b-be a-a-a m-m-mistake." he stuttered quietly. _

_The sorting hat said nothing as it was removed from his head. Quirinus stood to his feed and shuffled his way to the Ravenclaw table. What just happened? Why was he sorted into the house he'd heard was the most brilliant of them all? There was no way he was worthy for such a table. He shook hands with many very shyly, only wishing he could go to his dorm and sit on the side of his bed to read more on Defence against the Dark Arts and Potions. He didn't want to be in the crowd; he wanted to fit in but didn't want to make an idiot of himself. Once sorted, the great feast begun; being the kind boy he was, he waited until everyone in eye's sight had at least one piece of chicken before he, himself took the tiniest bit. _

_A boy next to him smiled at him. "You're not gonna have any more of that?" he asked. "There's plenty to go around." _

_Quirinus smiled timidly and took some more, his hands shook vigorously and he hunched over his plate and ate in secret, hoping no one was watching him. Once the feast ended, the announcements were made and they hurried off to bed; everyone but Quirinus who stayed back and waited for the last person to stand up. Although he didn't realize it; he was one of the most kind-hearted boys anyone could meet; though he had no confidence. He knew he would be a very misunderstood character from the beginning. What happened to this boy throughout his years at Hogwarts? Well one can only find out as we skip onto his seventh year when this lonesome, pale boy started his seventh year at Hogwarts._

* * *

Quirinus recounted his life at Hogwarts on his way back in September; he could only think about one thing- studying hard to get his mind off students. His first few years hadn't started out that great at all; he was a major subject to bullying and didn't think anything would change. As he walked down the halls, as hunched over, as timid as ever, he took note of everyone he passed; whether to avoid them or not. From his experiences, he knew all too well it was best to avoid all people; they picked at him for his stuttering; he was known as a coward; he had come to believe it to be the truth; he couldn't see himself for what he truly was at all. He decided to avoid everyone by walking up to the Ravenclaw common room; he pulled out his book of Potions and began to read up on what he already knew; he truly was a brilliant teenager. A few others entered but of course he found no nerve to say hi.

'_What do I say to them? Hi or what? No Quirinus... you must not say hi... you're not good enough_.' ran through his mind as he watched the people chatter about happily. He continued to read on with his book and decided not to bother about what they were doing. He deeply wished he could join them but knew he would make a fool of himself; despite receiving all O's in all his subjects; he still thought himself as not good enough because he was forever studying, whereas the others were having the time of their lives, laughing and eating candy of all sorts; secretly he waited for someone to talk to him but that never did happen.


	2. After all these years?

_It was clear to Charlotte Quirinus had no self confidence at all; she could also see the intelligence inside this shy stammering boy, who claimed he was of no special intelligence; if he believed he had any at all. Was it now that after his first six years of Hogwarts; had Quirinus finally found a friend?_

* * *

Quirinus felt so timid on the inside from sitting in the common room; he felt he had to go cool off; the fear had settled in the pit of his stomach; he tried hard to ignore the distractions around him as he read his Potions book, not because he found them annoying but because they terrified him; he was insecure, what if they were talking about him? Secretly mocking him? What if they were planning something like an evil prank on him or something; Quirinus couldn't bare the thoughts any longer. He stood to his feet and walked out of the common room; he had no idea where he was really going; he didn't care. He had to be away from people. As he walked he thought of the various places he could go hide out; his first thought was Dumbledore but he didn't want to bother the headmaster because he was scared of people; what if he were kicked out for it? What if Dumbledore laughed? He continued walking, taking no notice of anyone who passed him; he was terrified and wanted to avoid all contact. He walked down the hall when suddenly cowered backwards, his hands held in front of him as though he were about to be attacked. He had ran into a girl; he had no idea what her name was, nor had he seen her around but _he _ran into someone; a girl who didn't know him; a girl who would torment him for the rest of his life for cowering the way he was. He thought about running away but wanted to make sure he hadn't hurt her.

He looked at her and shook, "s-s-s-s-s-s-sorry... uhhh... h-h-h-hi." he stuttered. "S-s-s-sorry a-a-a-about th-th-th-that..."

The girl looked at him; he could have sworn she was going to attack him but of course that was his mind playing tricks on him; the girl smiled softly. "That's alright. I wasn't watching where I was stepping either." she said and extended her hand towards him. "I'm Charlotte, and you are?" she asked curiously.

Quirinus looked intimidated by her as much as he felt it as he shook her hand gently and quickly let go. "I-I-I-I-I-I'm Qu-qu-qu-Quirinus." he hunched his head into his shoulders as he realized just what a stupid and weird name he had. '_What if she thinks my name is stupid; what do I say then_?' he asked himself in his mind. He focused his head to the ground and said in almost a whisper, "Qu-Qu-Quirinus... Qu-Qu-Quirinus... Qu-Qu-Qu-Quirrell... N-n-n-nice to me-me-meet y-y-you, Ch-Ch-Ch-Charlotte." he said as he looked up at her slowly and smiled shyly; his fear obvious.

Charlotte looked at him, "Quirinus?" she asked sounding interested in his rather unusual name, "that's an interesting name." she added and flashed him a grin. "So... what house are you from?"

'_She hates me already... my name is too weird; she's trying not to laugh_.' he thought as she grinned at him. He decided not to say anything in case she saw him as stupider than she already saw him, "I-I-I-Interesting...?" he asked, smiling weakly as he felt his intimidation grow stronger, "I-I-I-I'm a R-Ra-Ra-Raven... Ravenclaw..." he paused and decided it would be polite to ask her what house she was from seeing that she asked his, "w-w-w-what a-a-a-about y-y-your... yourself?" he wondered whether he asked the right thing as Charlotte motioned to her Gryffindor crest. He felt stupid he hadn't motioned to his.

"Gryffindor of course!" she said proudly and moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "I always thought I was more geared to Ravenclaw though, so lucky you for being one of the brilliant members of the house." she said and winked at him.

Quirinus didn't know how to react to this; he felt completely stupid; the truth was he didn't have a single clue how he passed his subjects because of the shame that was put on him for how much he studied; he decided to go with Charlotte to save any disagreements; he didn't want to fight with someone he had just met, again. "W-w-well I-I-I-I kn-kn-kn-know a b-b-bit." he stammered and paused for a moment to think about his next words, '_or a lot from what teachers say, a lot... but they're probably just lying to me to make me feel better or something; no one else has told me so apart from teachers... I don't wanna sound too stupid nor do I want to come across as a boaster_.' he thought to himself. He quickly refrained from his thoughts and cleared his mind, focusing back to the conversation; he knew he looked awkward. "G-G-G-G-Gryffindor... eh?" he stammered quickly, "y-y-y-you m-m-m-must kn-kn-kn-know Th-the m-m-m-m-marauders then?" he said suddenly.

His mind raced instantly, '_Quirinus you idiot! You've heard of the marauders yes but what gives you right to ask about them? You're a Ravenclaw you idiot_!' his mind seemed to yell at him. "I-I-I-I-I m-m-m-mean y-y-you're l-l-l-lu-lu... lucky to b-b-be a Gryf-Gryf-Gryffindor." he said quickly hoping she didn't catch what he'd previously said about the marauders. He smiled awkwardly as Charlotte moved her hair from her face; his mind told him he had something wrong with his hair; hoping to not seem cocky, he smoothed his hair down and looked at Charlotte; he hoped with everything he had he hadn't come across as something or someone he wasn't.

Charlotte smiled at him, "well to be honest; Ravenclaw could probably top us easily... and yes, I do actually; I'm fair friends with all of them..."


	3. A friend indeed

**I should mention; Charlotte is an OC of one of me best mates; I would just like to thank her for the brilliant roleplay she bought me into; without her I would not be writing as many fanfics as I am; nor would I have met so many awesome people. Thanks mate; you know who you are.**

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Quirinus gave a slight shy smile, he thought over Charlotte's words and looked up at her, "b-b-but G-G—G-G-G-Gryffindor's c-c-c-cool..." he paused a moment, "R-Rav-Rav-Ravenclaw just has in-in-intelligence." he stammered, he frowned at this and sighed, '_something I would never have_...' he thought to himself. He looked back up and hunched himself over as much as he could, he hesitated a moment before looking back up at her, kicking the ground shyly with his foot, "c-c-c-c-could I-I-I-I-I-I m-m-m-maybe b-b-b-b-be in-in-in-introduced?" he asked, '_it would be cool to have friends... I think_.' he thought.

Charlotte eagerly nodded, "definitely! I don't know where James and Remus have gone off to but I can introduce you to Sirius and Peter if you like?"

Quirinus' eyes lit up at this, his fear was evident, "Y-y-y-you c-c-c-can...?" he stammered, shaking slightly. "W-w-w-w-will th-th-th-they l-l-l-l-like m-m-m-me th-th-th-though...?" he frowned as he thought over the odds of them liking him; he had heard they're awesome people and knew he would never fit in.

Charlotte nudged him lightly, "of course they will; Sirius is one of my best friends and I consider Peter a friend too; they're really nice." she said reassuringly.

Quirinus gave a nervous laugh, hesitated and nudged her slightly back, he instantly felt guilty for it, '_why did I do that_?' he asked himself, "S-s-s-sorry." he smiled timidly, "An-an-an-any fr-fr-fr-friend o-o-of y-y-y-yours m-m-m-mu-must be ni-n-n-nice." he stopped for a moment and looked away from her; '_sounding like a flirt now, are we... no_.' he pulled a face at himself and hoped she didn't see it, '_I am so awkward_...' he quickly recollected where he was and looked straight back to her as she began to speak.

'_He seems so shy... like I'm going to bite him or something... I hope I'm not giving off the wrong impression_...' Charlotte thought as she twisted a strand of hair around her finger. "Well thanks! I bet your friends are nice too Quirinus." she said.

It was now clear to Quirinus that she saw something in him that no one else did; why would she tell him his friends are nice when he had none? Did she really think he was something worthy of friends? It seemed so.

Quirinus looked down and sighed, "Oh... m-me?" he looked at her; Charlotte swore his eyes were welling up with tears, "I-I-I-I-I do-do-do-don't th-th-th-think I-I-I-I-I h-h-h-h-have an-an-an-any fr-fr-fr-fr-friends..." he stammered; fear crept through him and bombed the pit of his stomach; he felt sick as he waited for her reaction. '_For six years I've had no friends... why would it be any different? Who would want to be friends with me anyway_?' he thought. He smiled weakly at Charlotte unsure of what to say to her now, "y-y-y-y-y-you're a-a-a r-r-r-really n-n-n-nice per-per-per-person." He smiled again at her; this time his eyes seemed brighter though his face whiter than it had been before, he ran his fingers through his hair; again mistaking Charlotte playing with her hair as a sign something was wrong with his.

"Well you'll make them soon enough I expect." She paused and smiled, "you've already made _one _haven't you?" Charlotte was very much unaware just how much this meant to Quirinus; she had no idea he had not had a single friend his entire life.

Quirinus missed entirely what she had said, '_I have...? Well... there is Charlotte but this would just be another one-off wouldn't it... like the others who talked to me and I've never seen again... right..._?' he didn't want to show off any sign that could tell her he hadn't had any friends all his life. He looked up at her and grinned shyly though his eyes sparkled brightly, "wh-wh-who...? ...y-y-y-y-you?" this sounded quite mean in his eyes; he frowned to himself, "Y-y-y-you're considered my friend... bu-bu-bu-bu-but _me_..._Your _friend?" he grinned at this thought though he felt utterly unworthy.

"Of course I mean me, silly!" Charlotte giggled, "Unless you'd rather not be friends?"

Quirinus looked at her rather taken aback; he had no idea what to see. He felt as though all thoughts in his mind had ran away from him and every word he could think of just disappeared in mid air the moment he thought of them. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again; he felt a fool for this. '_Friends with this Charlotte_... _AWESOME_!' he said in his mind, however found it best not to say anything out loud in case it showed her that he hadn't had a friend before. His beaming face told her everything, though he couldn't say any words.

Charlotte gently took his arm, "come on, let's go get some pumpkin juice alright?" she smiled and the two headed towards the Great Hall; their arms linked together.

Quirinus thought for a moment; he really didn't know how to react, "O-o-o-of c-c-c-c-course!" he beamed finally able to find some words, "s-s-s-so you r-r-r-r-really _w-w-w-want _t-to b-b-be frfr-fr-fr-friends?"

"Of course I do!" Charlotte grinned, "you can _never _have too many."

Quirinus smiled brighter than he had done before, "I-I-I-I-I g-g-g-g-guess n-n-n-n-not!"

As the two walked, Quirinus took note of their surroundings, beaming like anything, his arm still linked with Charlotte's, looking at various people, he looked at Charlotte, smiled shyly and quietly asked, "Who's that?" as he gestured with his head, to a boy who was with a group of other boys walking the opposite way to them, He knew it was rude to point and could only hope that she knew who he was talking about. He had had a run in with Severus just moments before meeting Charlotte; he'd been caught looking at Severus and Severus had taken it the wrong way; the two ended up sorting it out and had a chat but it was nothing more than a one-off chat; he didn't want another moment like that... or worse.

Charlotte glanced over in the direction Quirinus had pointed, "oh him? That's Luke Harper. I believe he's a Gryffindor too."

Quirinus looked at Luke and smiled shyly, "w-w-w-w-one o-o-of y-y-your fr-fr-fr-fr-friends?"

Charlotte shook her head slightly, "no actually... I don't know him that well; I've never really said hello to him to be honest." she said as she frowned slightly.

Quirinus looked at her and smiled shyly, "oh... n-n-n-no... I-i-i-it's o-oh-okay... may-may-maybe w-w-w-w-one d-d-d-day y-y-you w-w-will?" he stammered reassuringly, "I-I-I-I d-d-d-don't n-nor-norm-normally s-s-s-say he-he-hello t-t-to t-too man-man-many p-p-p-people." He felt rather relieved that he wasn't the only one who didn't say hi to people, especially when he could see Charlotte was a good person; he really felt a bad person for it; he didn't like how he had no courage to say hello to people; he actually hated himself for it. "D-d-d-d-don't fr-fr-fr-frown... i-i-i-it's okay... r-r-r-really."

Charlotte couldn't help but smile, "maybe one day I will." she said and winked at Quirinus and slid into an empty chair at the Gryffindor table.

As Charlotte slid into the empty chair at the Gryffindor table, Quirinus couldn't help but feel out of place and scared; he stood behind the chair hesitantly; he was scared someone would see him and kick him from the table as he was a Ravenclaw... or someone would see him with Charlotte and pick at her for being friends with the weird kid.

Charlotte looked at Quirinus and smiled, "Don't worry about not being a Gryffindor. No one will give you any trouble here."

Quirinus looked at her and smiled timidly though his eyes sparkled bright, he slouched low as he saw a crowd of people and quickly slipped into a chair beside her, hoping no one had seen him. He looked at Charlotte not wanting to look behind him, however something told him if he looked at her, he would give her the impression he was staring at her. Quickly, he took his eyes from her and focused on the table as though waiting for it to transfigure into something. "R-r-really?" he smiled, still looking at the table but not wanting to seem rude, he looked up at her quickly and smiled, "w-w-w-well I-I-I-I do-do-do-don't th-th-th-think y-y-y-you'd l-l-l-let th-th-th-them." This was his way of saying he trusted her; she was the first person he had ever trusted and he hoped she wouldn't let him down. "I-I-I-I w-w-w-won't l-l-l-l-let a-a-an-an-anyone gi-gi-give y-y-you t-t-t-trouble ei-either." he added. His mind quickly raced, '_not that anyone would give her trouble anyway... who would... who could? I may seem a coward but I will stand for her... and do my best... oh what the heck. I'm a useless friend... I will still do my best_.' he wanted to say his thoughts to her but was to shy for that.

Charlotte smiled weakly, "Mm... well believe it or not, I get quite a bit of trouble from people..." she sighed, grabbed a glass of pumpkin juice from the table and slid another glass to Quirinus, "and don't worry... if anyone bothers you... I will take care of it."

Quirinus was shocked to hear this, "_Y-y-y-you _do?" he looked at her sadly, "W-w-why?" he asked her, unable to find reasoning why someone would give someone like her trouble. He smiled timidly as she handed him the pumpkin juice, "th-th-thank y-y-y-you." He looked at the glass and waited for her to take a sip, before taking a small sip himself, not wanting to finish before her or after her; he didn't want to seem as though he were a glutton if he finished too quick, or come off that he didn't like the pumpkin juice if he finished too slowly. "Y-y-y-you're r-r-really a-a-a gr-gr-gr-great fr-fr-fr-friend y-y-you kn-kn-kn-know?"

Charlotte didn't say anything, she sat deep in thought, '_Poor thing, he seemed absolutely terrified of me when he first introduced himself, but he also seems so nice. Well I guess its true what they say, you can sometimes find friends in the unlikeliest of places_.' she saw him as a nice kid, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for him; she couldn't help but wonder the reason behind why he was so scared of her; though she didn't want to say anything just yet.


	4. The gift

_Charlotte's birthday was coming up and Quirinus of course had spent most of his day planning what to give her and how to give it to her. He was too shy to give it to her in front of people; he also wanted to make it special. He pulled a piece of parchment out and scrawled a note on it, used the floo network to by her some gifts he thought she'd like and made his way to find her._

* * *

'_Will she like it? Is it really her birthday? What if I make a fool of myself? Should I leave it somewhere for her...? Why is this so difficult? No, I mustn't; I don't want to see her reaction if she hates it but... what if she likes it..._?' these thoughts ran through Quirinus' head since he'd lifted himself from his seat in the common room.

Charlotte's birthday was something very much important to him, seeing she was his only friend and he already cared so much for her. He found her down the corridor with Sirius and Peter as she usually was; he hesitated, although he'd met Sirius and Peter; he didn't want them to think he was some coward. He shyly walked up to her with timidness written all over him as he clutched the note in his hand. He felt like an idiot; he could have given her the present in front of everyone but he was too shy to.

"Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Char... lotte?" he stammered to get her attention.

Charlotte looked over at him and smiled, "oh hey Quirinus." she said as though he were an old-time buddy. Her gaze fell on the piece of parchment he clutched in his shaking hand, "what's that?"

Quirinus smiled timidly, "h-h-h-h-hey Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Charlotte." he replied as he fumbled with the parchment. He looked at it and shrugged slightly; the poor kid was shaking all over, "I-i-i-it's f-f-f-f-for y-y-y—y-you..." his hand shook so much as he passed her the note, he swore he were going to drop it; he could barely hold it. He looked at her and smiled weakly, '_pathetic..._' his mind told him.

Charlotte took the note and read:

_Charlotte; I have something for you and this does sound really stupid but please meet me down the hall... I'm too shy. –Quirinus. _

Charlotte grinned at Quirinus after she scanned the note, "I will be back guys!" Charlotte called to Peter and Sirius; Sirius wolf-whistled teasingly as she linked arms with Quirinus. "Well, lead the way, Quirinus!"

Quirinus cowered slightly as she linked his arm with hers as though he thought she were going to hit him or something, he linked his arm with hers, smiling brightly. He felt rather scared but he was happy, "oh-oh-okay!" he grinned timidly, "C-c-c-c-come on!"

To Charlotte's surprise the two found themselves walking in the opposite direction to the hall, she didn't question where they were going; she was curious to find out, at the same time excited. Quirinus had lead her to the Astronomy tower where he knew there was no one around plus he liked it up there because it meant star-gazing when his thoughts were growing to be too much. He looked at Charlotte and smiled brightly as he pulled a box wrapped in shiny red and yellow paper, out of his hessian bag that hung over his shoulder. "P-p-p-p-p-please for-for-forgive m-m-me i-i-if y-y-y-you al-al-already ha-ha-have one."

Charlotte curiously took the box from his hands, looked up at him with a quizzical expression; she looked back to the box, carefully unwrapped it and opened it. "Oh my... this is beautiful Quirinus!" she beamed, as she held the golden bracelet up. She was also pleased to see he had discovered the Gryffindors' to be pranksters and gave her a book on pranks; not that she needed it when she hung out with the marauders but the golden bracelet was what really caught her by surprise; she couldn't get over it.

Quirinus smiled brightly yet timidly, "Y-y-y-y-you like it?" he knew it was a stupid question when he saw her eyes light up; he'd never seen them sparkle as much as they were right now. He beamed brightly knowing he had made the right choice. "I-i-i-i-i-i-it t-t-t-t-took a-a-a-a-ages t-t-t-to f-f-f-find; I-I-I-I-I-I f-f-f-f-found it th-th-though." he chuckled through his stammers. Another thought came to his mind as he looked at her; he grinned shyly then cowered back. '_No Quirinus. You mustn't hug her... hugging her would possibly scare her. You're not to hug..._' his mind scowled.

"Really... this is amazing." she said as she lifted the bracelet from its package, "help me put it on maybe?"

"I-I-I-I-I-I'm g-gl-glad y-y-you l-l-l-like i-i-i-it!" he beamed. He looked at her, his eyes bright as he nodded shyly. He took her wrist gently, "y-y-y-you wr-wr-wr-wrap i-i-it ar-ar-around y-y-y-your wr-wr-wr-wrist and I-I-I-I-I w-w-w-will cl-cl-cl-clip i-i-it up." he told her, not wanting to fingermark the gold with his prints; it was hers only to touch. He smiled at her, deep down reassuring her he would clip it up if he didn't mind about fingerprinting it.

Charlotte smiled and draped it over her wrist, leaving plenty of room for Quirinus to close the clasp.

Quirinus looked at her and smiled as he took the clasp and closed it, "H-h-h-h-h-how's th-th-th-that?" he asked with a bright smile, i-i-i-i-it... y-y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-l-look bea..." he started to say, '_no Quirinus! You can't tell her that_!' he told himself. He looked at her and hesitated for a moment, "p-p-p-pretty." he said with another shy smile.

Charlotte blushed a little; "thanks Quirrell." she smiled as she looked down at her bracelet, "well it is lovely; definitely one of my favourite presents."

'_She called me Quirrell... I've only known her to call her true friends by their last names_.' he thought with a broad but shy grin. "N-n-n-n-n-n-no p-pr-pr-pr-problem." he beamed, "Y-y-y-y-your f-f-fav-fav-fav-favourite?"

Charlotte nodded, "definitely, along with the gift from my parents and Marcus."

"W-w-w-w-what d-d-did th-th-th-they g-g-g-give y-y-you?" Quirinus asked timidly, '_you should know not to ask such questions_.' he told himself as he looked down at his feet then up at the sky.

Charlotte smiled, "well my parents got me a broom and Marcus gave me a snitch necklace; I love Quidditch so they were brilliant gifts." she said as she moved a strand of hair behind her ear.

Quirinus had the strangest twang in his heart to move it for her but his mind told him to stay put as he ran his hand through his hair as a habit of thinking it was a sign something was wrong with his. He looked up at her and smiled timidly, having a fair idea on what to give her for Christmas; "W-w-w-w-wicked!" he beamed, "Y-y-y-y-you pl-pl-pl-pl-play Qu-Qu-Quidditch!"

He deeply wondered whether she could teach him but he would save that question for another time as Charlotte, without warning leant in to hug him. Quirrell cowered because of his own protective reflexes he had earned from his past, '_she's hugging me_?' he said to himself, with a bright smile, he wrapped his arms around her and held her as though he were a little kid and she were his big sister. This was his first hug since as long as he could remember and it was from the one who he cared about most.


	5. The rival

_End of year had approached, Quirinus never got to say goodbye to Charlotte before she left for her home town; Quirinus had arranged with Dumbledore that he stay there on the holidays; he didn't want to go back home. The truth was, he hated it there; Hogwarts was fast becoming his home and he never wanted to go back; anywhere was better than 'home.' Quirinus had just finished some pumpkin juice at the Ravenclaw table; he recounted how he and Charlotte had done the same thing only a few months before when they first met. He felt heartbroken; he missed her like anything and if he were honest with himself; he wanted her to come back._

* * *

A student Quirinus had never met before apparated in front of him. Quirinus jumped back, fear ran through him; he knew it wasn't a good sign when a wizard apparated in front of him; he shook severely as he looked at the student others knew as Tom Mulciber.

"OI!" he yelled, he almost killed me!" Tom looked at Quirinus, "oh hello there... are you pureblood?" he asked as though this were a casual thing.

Quirinus felt as confused as he looked, not to mention scared, "wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-who tr-tr-tr-tr-tried t-t-t-to k-k-k-k-k-kill y-y-y-y-you?" his words shook as much as he did. Quirinus slouched low to the ground and huddled into himself, "w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w... w-what's i-i-i-i-it m-m-m-m-matter i-i-i-i-i-if I-I-I-I-I-I-I'm a p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-pureblood or n-n-n-n-not?" he didn't couldn't tell whether he shook more from his anger or from his fear.

Tom looked at him, "oh... you're the coward." he said, seemingly disheartened.

"C-c-c-c-c-coward...? m-m-m-m-me?" he paused; he knew he had just lie but wanted to make himself seem tougher so Tom would leave him alone, "N-n-n-n-no..." Quirinus looked down at his feet, unable to handle the guilt. "W-w-w-well... y-y-y-yeah... I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I g-g-g-g-g-guess...?" he sighed to himself. He knew he was wrong for lying but he didn't want to be attacked.

"Here... let me adjust you." Tom said suddenly. He slapped Quirinus who almost fell backwards, took his mouth and stretched it then waved his wand at it, "now?" he asked.

It would have seemed to anyone else Tom had just tried to cure Quirinus from his stammering problem, however Quirinus wasn't born with it; nothing could heal the fear he had in his heart. His mouth hurt from where Tom had stretched it and the slap wasn't what anyone would call soft. He cowered away from Tom and looked at him, "W-w-w-what w-w-was th-th-th-that f-f-f-for?"

Tom disapparated before he could answer, whether his intentions were to heal him or to hurt him, Quirinus was unsure but of course Quirinus took is as an attack; what else could he take it as? He was so used to being hurt by people, his face and throat hurt. Upset and angry of his cowardice acts, he hurried off to the common room, pulled out some parchment and his potion book and wrote some notes down to clear his head; he was so tempted to owl Charlotte but he didn't want to come off as a sook or anything. As it neared dinner time, he walked out into the Great Hall and slipped himself into a chair. A few others joined and soon food appeared on their house tables. Quirinus was just about to take a bite out of a potato in its jacket when he heard a screech. An owl flew onto the table with a note tied to its foot. Quirinus' eyes lit up as he seized the owl and untied the note from its leg. He fed it some chicken, unravelled the parchment and read:

_**Quirinus- **_

_**I'm so sorry we didn't have a chance to say goodbye yesterday! **_

_**How are you?**_

_**Are you going home for the holidays or staying at school?**_

_**~Char**_

Quirinus read the note another four times; tears filled his eyes as he wrote on the back of the parchment. He could not believe she remembered him and owled back straight away;

_Charlotte- _

_I miss you; I really do; I'm sorry I didn't have the chance to say goodbye either. _

_I'm okay here I guess; I mean, someone asked me a few moments ago if I am pureblood or not. Why does it matter to people what blood status we are? Stupid if you ask me._

_Other than that, things here are good- I stayed back at Hogwarts because well..._

_It may seem strange but I am home here; I've never felt so much at home. _

_How are things for you? __Where are you? __Where are you staying?_

_P.S. Sorry about the scrawl_

_~Quirinus_

He gave the note to the owl and watched as it took off from the table and flew out the window with his note to Charlotte. He beamed to himself, '_she actually remembered me_!' he said to himself. He ate some more potato and chicken with gravy, before polishing off some pudding for desert. Once dinner was over he hurried off to his dorm wondering when Charlotte would reply next. His question was answered when an hour later, the same owl flew in threw his dorm window with another rolled piece of parchment. Indeed this was his very first time someone had ever owled him. He took the note from the owl, fed it a treat and read:

_**Quirinus-**_

_**I'm nearby... I'm visiting a friend of mine so I can use the floo network to come to the school for a while if you like? **_

_**I know what you mean... blood type shouldn't matter but to most Slytherins, it does. I'm a muggle-born myself and that tends to draw a lot of hate because I wasn't born from a magical family. **_

_**I almost wish I was there... I miss the school an awful lot, even after a few days. Silly isn't it? I've gone home for the holidays, at least until next week when we all head on the camping trip. You are coming aren't you? ~Char**_

Quirinus didn't want to tell Charlotte about the attack but upon reading how she wanted to come to the school anyway; he felt it was only right to tell her as a warning; he didn't want his one and only friend being hurt because of blood status; it broke his heart to have to tell her but he knew things would only worsen if he didn't. He wrote on the back of the parchment:

_Charlotte-_

_Please come... I know I should have told you earlier but I didn't want to say anything..._

_I'm scared to be honest; someone just, randomly I think... attacked me; the same guy who asked what my blood status is._

_Blood type doesn't matter; you're brilliant as you are. _

_One thing I have never worked out is how do they know? _

_What if you didn't tell them? Can they know?_

_By the way; it's not silly. I miss the school even though I'm still here._

_Me? When is it?_

He put the quill down as his eyes grew teary, a single tear dropped on the parchment; he hoped she wouldn't see it. His eyes lit up, '_me_!_ A camping trip_!_ Me_... _A camping trip_!' he said to himself over and over. He picked his quill up again once he'd calmed down a little and continued:

_Of course I will! When is it? _

_Oh... and who will I go with?_

_~Quirinus_

He again gave the note to the owl and fed it a treat. He realized it would be getting late and Charlotte needed to sleep as he did; if she wasn't too far away, their time zones would be the same. He rested his head on his pillow and fell asleep beaming from ear to ear that night.


	6. The invite

_Charlotte was still unable to find Quirinus a nickname, so to start things off, she had taken to calling him by his surname upon realizing that this actually meant a great deal to him, through his knowledge of when she called on by their last name, they meant a great deal to her and were one of her closest friends. Quirinus couldn't get the grin off his face when he'd told her how he felt at the Astronomy tower, now though he missed her more than ever; he was so excited when he was awoken that morning; Quirinus expected Charlotte to not react too badly when he told her about the attack; he didn't even really expect a reply until..._

* * *

Quirinus was woken by a tapping sound coming from his early in the morning. He groggily rolled out of bed and looked at the window only to find an owl tapping it trying to get in. Quirinus beamed from ear to ear, it only meant one thing; Charlotte had replied! He quickly opened it and let the owl in; it flew in and landed on his bed. Quirinus gave a bit of a chuckle, took the parchment from its leg, fed the owl and sat on his bed to read:

**Quirrell- **

**WHAT! WHO! I'll sort them out!**

As Quirinus read the first line, he could tell she was angry; not at him but at Tom; he hadn't expected this reaction at all and hated to see... or hear her sound so angry. He smiled shyly at the thought that someone cared for him this much and read on:

**Thanks :) I think you're brilliant as well; **

**You're not a Ravenclaw for nothing! **

**Well... word spread around; I didn't exactly broadcast it.**

**They have their ways of finding out, for instance, **

**Chase Hawthorne somehow knew my first time at Hogwarts.**

**The camp's in a few days, **

**I'll owl you the details as soon as I know something more.**

**P.S. You can come with me silly! :p **

**~Char**

Quirinus couldn't help but laugh at her P.S. he could just imagine Charlotte poking her tongue out at him as she had done in the letter. He beamed from ear to ear as he realized that he would be going camping with Charlotte; perhaps then he could meet the marauders. He could only wonder though whether she would soon grow tired of being around him; not all good things last forever, could they? He grabbed his quill and scrawled through his own excitement of receiving yet another owl from her:

_Charlotte-_

_Tom... someone... I think his name was Tom anyway. _

_I'm not brilliant; _

_I'm just Quirrell; stuttering Quirrell who is very awkward, socially._

_Books and things only show me the little I do know._

_That's great they accept it- I don't like the concept of blood status hate. _

_Brilliant! Thank you Char lotte _

_~Quirrell _

He read over his note; unamused about the space in Charlotte's name but he really liked her name and didn't want to shorten it or anything. He loved owling her as much as he missed her; he knew he wouldn't get a reply back this time; there was virtually nothing he had written that she could reply to. All he could do was to wait for her owl with the details for camp. Excitement burned through him at that thought. He quickly rolled the parchment up and tied it to the owl's leg. Owling Charlotte had just made his entire week. He headed down to the hall for some breakfast, shyly grinning from ear to ear.

Hours passed and Quirinus' excitement grew intense as he waited upon her owl; he had no idea when it would arrive; of course he had spent the past four hours studying for Potions and Defence against the Dark Arts; two of his favourite subjects; he continued to avoid those who would pass him; he didn't want to make himself known since the run-in with tom; he would possibly say hello to a few when he was with Charlotte at the camp; for now though, he was on his own, strangely enough, this was the first time he had never felt lonely; he felt as though Charlotte were with him. He could only put it down as she was in his heart and that's where she would stay; she was a truly great friend to him and he couldn't have wished for anything more. He made his way outside of Hogwarts and sat by the lake, as he gazed into the water feeling rather peaceful, he heard a flapping sound that could only be described as wings. He looked up and sure enough the shadow of a bird flew towards him.

"S-s-s-she ow-ow-ow-owled!" he beamed out loud to himself, his heart pounded with excitement; he knew the camp was in a few days and now it seemed more official than it had when he'd heard about it because now; he had directions. He waited for the owl to land before taking the parchment from its leg once again. He sprawled out on his stomach in the green grass, facing the lake at a slight angle and read:

**Quirrell-**

**Here's the address to the camp.**

**Please come if you can!**

**There he saw a very detailed sketch of how to get to Hogwarts to the camping sight.**

**It's not as far as it looks but you will be coming with me,**

**So you won't get lost in the bush once you climb the hill; **

**It's a steep one but once you climb it; it's fun to run or roll down ;) **

**If you do go before me, remember. **

**When you reach a dirt road, don't follow it without me. **

**Muggles are suspicious creatures and will wonder what you're doing out there alone. **

**~Char**

Quirinus chuckled under his breath timidly, he was more excited than before; he had never been as far as the description; he loved the sound of the bushland and the lake. Quirinus had a thing for the outdoors; he loved all nature as much as he loved the darker side to life also; he loved his Dark Arts and black cloaks, scary movies, skeletons, everything of the sort but he also loved the lake, the bright green grass, sky gazing, everything else. His theory was there is no good and bad; the two work together. He was a clear example of it. He looked up at the lake and grinned shyly; he couldn't help but feel scared at the same time, wondering how he would fit in with the others, before replying to Charlotte:

_Charlotte- _

_Thank you! _

_I will be there __really soon__ I promise._

_Ignore that mistake; I'm sorry. _

_I'm excited right now. _

_~Quirinus_

He felt stupid for his mistake; he hoped Charlotte wouldn't take a dim view of it; he really wasn't as bright as she said he was; he only wished he could erase it completely but that would make him to be a liar and she would have reason to call him brilliant. He tied the parchment to the owl and sent it off to her after feeding it a treat. Fear and excitement crept through him as he gazed at the lake for a few hours thinking of Charlotte and how great it would be when he finally got to see her again.


	7. The arrival

_The next morning, Quirinus woke with a start; he conjured himself a tent after having nothing to bring to a camp; he hadn't expected anything like this. He beamed from ear to ear as he readied himself to leave to the site; once he had packed all his belongings. He disapparated to the place Charlotte had explained to him through her owl; his eyes lit up straight away as he saw her._

* * *

His eyes brightened more as he slowly and timidly edged towards Charlotte; he was as shy as always but happy to see her again. He knew she accepted him completely and knew for the first time in his life he had a friend. He stood behind her and waited for her to turn around, however she didn't; she was talking to Mary; he slouched over and waited for the two to finish their conversation, not wanting to be rude or anything. Once the two had finished talking, Quirinus shook slightly as he timidly tapped Charlotte's back, with a mischievous, yet shy smile.

Charlotte turned around; Quirinus noticed her eyes light up immediately which made him grin. "Quirrell!" she beamed. "I'm so glad you could come!" she said and leant in closer to wrap her arms around him in a hug. "How are you?"

Quirinus smiled brighter as he saw her eyes light up more=so as he wrapped his arms around her tighter than he probably should have, '_her eyes...' _he thought to himself; he hadn't noticed how pretty her eyes were; though he knew he couldn't say anything to her in order not to weird her out. "I-I-I-I-I'm gr-gr-gr-great n-n-n-now." he stammered and looked up at her as he held her, "I-I-I-I-I-I m-m-m-m-missed y-y-y-you." he said, he paused in thought for a moment, '_I hope she doesn't take that wrongly._' he thought to himself, "h-h-h-how ar-ar-are y-y-y-you?" he let her go, hoping he hadn't held her for too long.

Charlotte grinned, "I've missed you too! And I'm great actually." she beamed; smoothing her hair out of her eyes after Quirinus let her go.

'_She missed me...? Why?_' Quirinus thought to himself, despite his thoughts, he couldn't help but to grin timidly; though he still deeply wondered why she had missed him. "I-I-I-I-I'm gr-gr-gr-great, m-m-m-myself... al-al-also." he said and looked at Charlotte as he ran his hands through his own hair through his habit of taking her fixing her hair as a sign something was wrong with his.

It was then that Charlotte was called away to see Mary and the others, "do you want to tag along?" she asked.

Quirinus thought over this and shook his head, '_they won't like me._' he thought, "I-I-I-I've g-g-g-got t-t-t-to s-s-set u-u-u-up m-m-m-my t-t-t-tent... I-I-I-I w-w-w-will c-c-c-catch u-u-u-up wi-wi-wi-with y-y-y-you l-l-l-later." he stammered. He felt quite bad that he said no to her but something told him Charlotte understood.

The two hugged once more and with that, Charlotte ran off to catch up with the others. Quirinus beamed to himself at the fact he, not only saw Charlotte again but also at the fact that, despite being afraid of being unable to fit in with the others, this was his first camping trip; it was his first time at _ever_ being invited somewhere. He walked around to where everyone had set their tents up; it seemed almost impossible to find a place. Finally he found Charlotte's tent and decided to set it up about twenty feet away from hers; he didn't want to be too close to hers in case everyone else thought it was weird or something for him to set his up so close to hers. He dropped his neatly ravelled tent down, pointed his wand at it and slowly raised it, ensuring there were no muggles around. As he raised his wand, he was pleased to see his tent rise with it. '_Now what to do..._' he thought to himself. '_This is going to be fun... but very awkward for me..._' he frowned at this and looked around to see where Charlotte had gone off to.


	8. Socialising

Quirinus sighed as he realized she and her friends were probably somewhere far away where he wouldn't find them. He told himself they weren't talking about him or anything and wandered aimlessly around the site when he accidently bumped into a boy sitting by his tent watching a few people mingle with each other. Quirinus looked down at the boy, "S-s-s-sorry!" he cowered back a few steps, afraid of what the outcome would be.

The boy looked up at Quirinus. "Hey it's okay Quirrell." he grinned. "How are you?"

'_Charlotte must have told him about me before she went off to hang out with the others._' Quirinus thought to himself. He looked at the group of people and recognised one of them to be Sirius, another as Peter. He realized Charlotte must have told this kid about him when he told Charlotte to meet him in the hall to give her birthday present to her. Quirinus weakly grinned in return, his trembling lessened slightly, "i-i-i-i-it i-i-is...?" he asked wondering why the boy thought it as okay for him to run into him. "I-I-I-I-I'm..." he stopped, '_Quirinus! You blithering idiot_!' he thought to himself, '_you're supposed to be the one to ask him how he is, not he ask you first; it's the same with anyone..._' realizing it was too late to do anything and he had possibly caused an awkward silence, or to show his hidden emotions, quickly said, I-I-I-I-I-I-I'm g-g-g-great... j-j-j-j-just g-g-g-getting t-t-t-to kn-kn-kn-know ev-ev-ev... err... a-a-a-a f-f-f-few p-p-p-people." he smiled weakly, "H-h-h-h-how a-a-a-about y-y-y-yourself?"

"I am good." Travis said with a bit of a grin.

Quirinus smiled weakly, he felt the urge to kneel down next to the boy but he knew to wait for the gesture. "M-m-m-me t-t-t-too..." he said awkwardly. '_Now what to say...? That was sort of an awkward thing to say... perhaps more than awkward..._' he thought to himself.

"Are you having fun so far?" the boy asked, apparently sensing Quirinus hadn't thought of anything else to say.

Quirinus lowered his head as he absentmindedly dug around the dirt with his shoe. "Y-y-y-y-yeah..." he said in almost a mumble. "J-j-j-just w-w-w-wish I-I-I-I..." he paused and continued to stare at the ground as though hoping it would inspire him somehow to take away his nerve. '_If only I knew more people around here... but I just don't fit in... So it feels anyway..._' he thought to himself. He looked back at the boy for a bit of hope and smiled weakly, though the sadness in his eyes was very obvious, "... I-I-I-I-I f-f-f-fit i-i-i-i-in." he stammered and looked back at his feet, '_you idiot! Why did you just admit that_?'

"I am sure you will fit in just fine! I have seen you in class and I think you are cool." the boy, who Quirinus now recognised to be Travis Thorne grinned.

Quirinus looked down at Travis and smiled weakly, he swore he could feel himself flush red. As weak as his smile was, his now-bright and shining eyes told the entire story of how much Travis's words meant to him, "M-m-m-me? Sm-sm-sm-smart...? C-c-c-c-cool...? N-n-n-n... H-h-h-how?" he asked, now trembling as much as he had been when he first bumped into Travis, curiosity and confusion was written all over his face as he gazed at Travis, hoping he wasn't staring.

"Do you really need a reason?" Travis said and smiled warmly.

Quirinus smiled weakly, this time he was definitely reddening for sure; from embarrassment this time, "I-I-I-I-I-I d-d-d-don't kn-kn-kn... n-n-n-no." he said with a sheepish grin.

Their conversation was cut short as another boy Quirinus recognised from Potions class trucked into him while playfully running away from someone. The two tumbled to the ground. "Bloody hell!" he said, feeling quite shocked from what had just happened, he rubbed his head as he stood to his feet and pulled Quirinus up, "sorry mate, you alright?"

Quirinus gave a bit of a startled cry of the impact of falling and timidly let Jake help him up,

Travis sniggered to himself at the boy, the boy grinned back sheepishly as Travis ran off to join the others, apparently not wanting to seem awkward while Quirinus and the boy talked to each other.

"W-w-w-why a-a-are y-y-y-you r-r-r-running?" Quirinus asked, deeply concerned remembering what happened with Tom. '_Weird question... stupid, stupid._' he thought to himself as he realized how it would have sounded to the boy, "I-I-I-I-I-I-I'm... f-f-f-fine. A-a-a-are y-y-y-you?" he slouched low through nerves as he asked this.

"Yeah I'm fine... I'm Jake and you?"

Quirinus hesitated for a moment, "I-I-I-I-I'm... Qu-Qu-Qu-Quirrell... Qu-Qu-Quirinus... Qu-Qu-Qu-Quirrell." he said with a timid smile.

"Right then, Qui- ...Quir- ..." he cheekily pulled a face. "Quirrell." he added and nodded.

Quirinus laughed shyly at this, "N-n-nice t-t-t-to m-m-meet y-y-you."

"You too." Jake said with a grin.

Quirinus smiled timidly as he trembled slightly, "w-w-w-what ar-are y-y-you u-u-u-up t-t-to?"

Before Jake could reply, Sirius caught up to him, Quirinus cowered as Jake was tackled. He walked away before Sirius said anything to him; he knew Sirius and knew he would never be as cool as he was; he figured it were best to wait until Charlotte introduced him so it wouldn't be as awkward.


End file.
